Affordable rents in Asheville touted by national report, but debunked by locals

By Kimberly King

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A report by national apartment listing firm RentCafe posted days ago says Asheville is one of the best cities to find an “amply” spaced 932-square-feet rental, for $1,500 a month. But those seeking units along with those managing properties say otherwise.

“I actually find it interesting and misleading,” said Emily Kirchmeyer of the assertion by RentCafe. Kirchmeyer’s managed and supervised complexes for a decade in the city. “At our communities, our average rental rate is about $1,800. We’ve got three-bedrooms that are over $3,000. Asheville is in an affordable housing crisis.”

Kirchmeyer said she rarely has a $1,500 rental at any of the properties she manages. She said $1,500 is more in keeping with a 600-square-foot unit. And those, she said, are very hard to find.

“Rents have gone up 20% in the past year, I’ve never seen anything like it.” Kirchmeyer works for longtime developer Chip Kassinger whose been partnering with well-known Asheville developer Randy Pulliam. The two are working on rental projects that will include workforce housing units that will be smaller in square-footage but provide more affordable rates in Asheville that continues to have a big national reputation and headlines for quality of life.

“Renting now is almost two times what it would be to have a mortgage payment,” said Zachary Zpapaioannoupa who can’t find a place to live. “I work two jobs, and it’s just really difficult to afford to live in Asheville.”

Zpapaioannoupa’s father lives in Canton. He’s living in a friend’s camper right now. He moved back to the area to be closer to his Dad.

“I could go up to around $800.” He’s put an ad in Craigslist hoping to find a home-share with roommates so he can live in Asheville where he works.

News 13 confirmed on Tuesday that RentCafe’s data isn’t directly reflective of the Asheville urban market. The site aggregates data from the donut counties, including Madison, Haywood, Henderson and Transylvania to come up with a report about the so-called Asheville housing market. The site reported the Asheville rental market is the 9th hottest market of small towns for rentals. But the site also used the data from the multiple counties to evaluate 20,000 rental units rather than solely analyzing data from the approximate 6,400 rental units in Asheville in recent months. “For 2022 we’re projecting for Asheville 1,677 units,” said Doug Ressler, an analyst for RentCafe’s parent company Yardi. Yardi produces property management software. The company, according to its website, is based in California. That additional inventory is needed to meet current demand.

Kirchmeyer said many people able to pay premium rents are people who can work remotely, moving to town with good salaries and leaving other parts of the country that have much higher costs of living. She said she’s never seen the demand for rentals as she sees right now. “People are fighting over apartments. They may come in and look for one and someone’s already rented it.”

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